Villa fans are being urged to get on their bikes and join some claret and blue legends by going that extra mile as part of a unique cycling challenge.
Supporters attending Saturday’s game against Newcastle will be able to provide their own pedal power towards clocking up an eventual 77,777 miles – to help raise £100,000 for the Help Harry, Help Others charity.
Help Harry, Help Others bracelets will also be on sale around the stadium.
As part of the overall challenge, local celebrity fundraiser ‘Blind Dave’ Heeley and other cyclists will undertake an incredible 7-in-Seven bike challenge by cycling from Switzerland to Birmingham, through seven countries, covering some 7000 miles, in the space of a week.
Former Villa Park heroes Gary Shaw, Chris Nicholl, Steve Staunton and Lee Hendrie will support the fundraiser at this Saturday’s game by circling the perimeter of the pitch, while Blind Dave will be taking part in a Q&A.
And fans will get a chance to put in their own pre-match leg work, with a series of exercise bikes being positioned around the ground before the game.
Saturday’s event is part of an initiative to raise a six-figure sum towards the charity set up in memory of Harry Moseley, the 11-year-old Brummie fundraiser who died in October 2011, following a four-year battle with brain tumour.
The 7-in-Seven challenge will see cyclists setting out from Zurich on September 23. From there they will cycle through Germany, France, Luxemburg, Belgium, The Netherlands with an overnight crossing to Harwich for the final stage of the journey.
Football legends – including Cyrille Regis, Brendon Batson, Hendrie and Staunton – will be joined by other some 200 other cyclists for the last leg of the journey, on September 29, from the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, through to Birmingham’s Centenary Square.
The event aims to inspire 7,000 people to collectively ride 77,777 miles (equivalent to three times round the world) by recording the miles they have pedalled on the 7-in-Seven website –www.7inseven.co.uk.
Supporters include Hollywood Monster, Westfield, Eze Group, Chiltern Railways, The Bottom Line, Birmingham City Council, Kukri, Pertemps, USN, Barques PR, The NEC Group, The Cube, the Ricoh Arena, and football clubs Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City. For more information visit www.7inseven.co.uk and www.hhho.org.uk.
Sourced from: www.avfc.co.uk
